The Viz DBZ Manga: What was Censored?

[SSJFrogGinyu]

Ever since I started collecting 'Kai' and getting back into Dragon Ball, I've been re-reading the Dragon Ball manga (the DBZ part, starting at Volume 17 when going by real numbers) and ordering the books I don't have when I get up to those parts. I've got the entire Dragon Ball run (1-16) and as for DBZ, I have volumes 1-16 (17-32) and I think 25-26 (41-42), slowly filling in the gaps as I reach them.

So long story short, there's a large gap in my collection from volumes 16 (32) up to volume 25 (41). The truth is I skipped over a bunch of the volumes and went straight to the last two so I could 'cheat' and see how Dragon Ball ended. Although I know a lot about DB, I may as well admit right here that I've actually never watched or read most of the Boo Saga. Most of what happens in it is still a mystery to me.

Anyway, I noticed something interesting when I was reading through the final volume: there was no swearing anymore. At all. Maybe I need to go back and read it again to check, but I'm pretty sure that in the volume I had, nobody cusses. They just use 'polite' variations ("Curses!" "Oh my gosh!"). At one point Vegeta even says "DARN him!" which reminded me in a bad way of the old FUNimation dub. And of course, there's "Hercule." Goddamn Hercule. I understand if 'Mr. Satan' was too offensive to use, but why would Viz borrow FUNimation's dumb cop-out English creation? It was almost as if in that instance, the two companies had collaborated on translation quirks, something I never thought would happen.

I knew beforehand that Viz had started censoring the DBZ manga at a certain point, not but I'm not sure when. I know about Mr. Popo's lips, and Super Boo giving the finger.

What else was censored though? The "A for All Ages" rating on the back was always a little, well, intimidating I should say, so I was never quite sure. Can anyone give me examples? I'm not sure about the swearing thing either. I'm currently up to the Cell Saga in the manga, and there is still swearing (# 18 even tells the guy at the clothing store she robs that her new cowgirl outfit "blows," which is not really 'swearing' per say but pretty racy.) I guess my next question is, is there a point where the naughty words stop? And are there versions of the manga out there where 'Hercule' is 'Mr. Satan' like he should be?

I'm talking strictly DBZ (17-42) here (I know it was originally called 'Dragon Ball' all the way through, but I might as well make that distinction.) As far as I know, all of my DB volumes (1-16) are completely uncensored, or at least uncensored enough that I never noticed anything. So Goku's wee-wee, the peed pants, Bulma's nipples, all that stuff is still there.

[Kendamu]

We really need some sort of sticky or guide for this.

[Herms]

Anyway, I noticed something interesting when I was reading through the final volume: there was no swearing anymore. At all. Maybe I need to go back and read it again to check, but I'm pretty sure that in the volume I had, nobody cusses. They just use 'polite' variations ("Curses!" "Oh my gosh!"). At one point Vegeta even says "DARN him!" which reminded me in a bad way of the old FUNimation dub.

Yep, Viz does away with swearing after a certain point. My all-time favorite example is when Super Saiyan Vegeta's firing a blast at someone (can't remember who) and originally he shouts "Kuso!!!/Shit!!!", but Viz just removes the word entirely rather than translate it, so the speech balloon just says "!!!".

I knew beforehand that Viz had started censoring the DBZ manga at a certain point, not but I'm not sure when. I know about Mr. Popo's lips, and Super Boo giving the finger.

Popo's lips were censored from the very beginning. Besides him, Black and various background characters have their lips altered too. They started censoring all instances of people flipping the bird midway through, going back and censoring previously uncensored scenes for new editions. There's Bulma flipping Pilaf off in DB volume 2, the whole gang flipping first-form Cell off in a DBZ volume 15 (?) title page, Gotenks flipping Boo off (not the other way around) in DBZ volume 25, and probably some other instances.

What else was censored though? The "A for All Ages" rating on the back was always a little, well, intimidating I should say, so I was never quite sure. Can anyone give me examples?

Bulma's nude scenes in DB volumes 1, 2, and 9, plus Gohan's penis in DBZ volume 2. Probably some other stuff too.

I'm not sure about the swearing thing either. I'm currently up to the Cell Saga in the manga, and there is still swearing (# 18 even tells the guy at the clothing store she robs that her new cowgirl outfit "blows," which is not really 'swearing' per say but pretty racy.) I guess my next question is, is there a point where the naughty words stop?

I couldn't tell you the exact point, but it's mid-Cell at the latest. There might be some scattered swears here and there past that point, but that's where they started clamping down on them. Newer editions of the earlier volumes might have them removed too.

And are there versions of the manga out there where '(the H-word)' is 'Mr. Satan' like he should be?

Nope, closest thing is that the acknowledge his real name in his bio at the start of each volume, and change the dialogue for when he's introduced around so that he's said to have gone by the name "Mister Satan" during his prior wrestling career (this whole idea of him having a prior wrestling career is Viz's invention).

[Ashura]

A lot of these things are reversed in the 2008/2009 (I forget which) Shonen Jump printings with the newer Viz logo. Bulma's breasts and bird flip especially. Stuff like Popo's lips and such remain censored through all versions I believe, though someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm pretty sure if you order the box-sets that Viz also released at the same time in 2008, that those will consistantly be the same printings as listed above with the least censorship.

I say that aknowledging that I don't think stuff like 17's gun to the forehead were every undone, though I don't have the "Z" box-set and I've not read the "Z" portion for over 10 years.

I'd like to start a thread where people pull their printings of each volume and we compare what has which censorship in it. Ideally it's something that would make a great article on the eventual DEX wiki I would think.

[SSJFrogGinyu]

That would actually be very convenient. The whole sordid history of Viz's DB/DBZ censorship is very confusing. I remember that when the Dragon Ball volumes originally came out (the big print ones) they were uncensored, but then suddenly parents got upset about the nudity and then there was a replacement censored version (I actually have both the censored and uncensored versions of big print DB volume 1). And then DB was released uncensored again but with a "13 and Up" label on the front and "Contains adult situations" disclaimer printed in bold on the back. Viz announced (going by memory here!) that DB would remain uncensored but DBZ would remain edited except for the violence. After that, the DB/DBZ volumes were re-released as the Shonen Jump Editions, DB initially being uncensored (all of my copies are). From what I'm reading here though, I guess Viz went back and re-censored those too. And then uncensored them again for the boxed sets! Where does it end?

Viz's censoring has always pissed me off. I remember picking up the first volume of Dr. Slump and reading a disclaimer at the very front stating some stuff was edited, like kids smoking cigarettes and other things. They have always struck me as major candyasses. If they have to censor their manga because they're printing chapters in Shonen Jump (I assume that's the reason, correct me if I'm wrong), they could at least put out uncensored stuff when they release whole volumes.

I say that aknowledging that I don't think stuff like 17's gun to the forehead were every undone, though I don't have the "Z" box-set and I've not read the "Z" portion for over 10 years.

Help me out. I keep hearing about this but I have no idea where it's supposed to happen. I've never seen it in the anime (I've seen the original DBZ but my memory's fuzzy so I'm going by 'Kai' here) and I just don't know what scene would have this in it. I assume it's one of the robbery scenes but I don't recall # 17 ever being close enough to anybody to have a gun to their head. Did one of the cops put a gun to his forehead? Does it happen when Trunks returns to the future (haven't gotten that far yet in the manga)? Does this happen in the Boo Saga, perhaps? Like I said, I missed the majority of that, and assumed the only scene with him after Cell was when he was on the farm giving Goku his energy.

(And why would 17 need a gun in the first place?)

Oh, and the 'H Word' text filter surprised me Wasn't expecting that. FUNimation's crime is so dastardly that Mr. Satan became He Who Must Not Be Named.

[Herms]

Help me out. I keep hearing about this but I have no idea where it's supposed to happen. I've never seen it in the anime (I've seen the original DBZ but my memory's fuzzy so I'm going by 'Kai' here) and I just don't know what scene would have this in it. I assume it's one of the robbery scenes but I don't recall # 17 ever being close enough to anybody to have a gun to their head. Did one of the cops put a gun to his forehead? Does it happen when Trunks returns to the future (haven't gotten that far yet in the manga)?

It's when Trunks returns to his own future. 18's blasting random stuff, and an old man crawls out from a car that got smashed in her attack and shoots a gun at 17. 17 takes out his own gun from his hip hostler and holds it to the man's chin. He fires it, but we only see the clip flying, the actual guy getting shot is off-panel. Viz edits the part where 17 holds the gun up so that there's no gun, then removes the clip when he fires, and changes the sound effect from a gun going off to a bludgeoning noise or something (the implication being that 17 just beat the guy to death).

(And why would 17 need a gun in the first place?)

Same reason he and 18 like to run people over with cars I guess. It's just more fun that way.

[SSJFrogGinyu]

It's when Trunks returns to his own future. 18's blasting random stuff, and an old man crawls out from a car that got smashed in her attack and shoots a gun at 17. 17 takes out his own gun from his hip hostler and holds it to the man's chin. He fires it, but we only see the clip flying, the actual guy getting shot is off-panel. Viz edits the part where 17 holds the gun up so that there's no gun, then removes the clip when he fires, and changes the sound effect from a gun going off to a bludgeoning noise or something (the implication being that 17 just beat the guy to death).

Good choice, I guess. I mean when you've got to pick between a guy getting shot in the head (instant death) or being beaten to a pulp... well, guns are naughty. And characters are always getting beatings anyway, so yeah, go for it. (Viz logic)

[Piccolo Daimao]

Viz edits the part where 17 holds the gun up so that there's no gun, then removes the clip when he fires, and changes the sound effect from a gun going off to a bludgeoning noise or something (the implication being that 17 just beat the guy to death).

What makes this censorship awkward is that it just looks like #17 randomly put his hand in his holster for no apparent reason, and then when in the edit where #17 holds the gun up so that there's no gun, you can still see smoke emanating from where the gun would be.

But censorship is the most inconsistent and double-standard piece of crap ever. It's really quite amusing that parents, especially religious ones, are more worried about their child seeing a woman's breasts than a child being bloodily beaten by an adult.

[SSJFrogGinyu]

Today I opened up my storage closet and went rooting around in my DB manga container. Lo and behold, I actually discovered a copy of DBZ Volume 20 (36) that I'd completely forgotten about buying!

Anyway, I flipped to the character page. Here is the character description of Mr. Satan:

An ordinary wrestler who became world-famous when he took credit for defeating Cell. In the original Japanese manga he's known as "Mr. Satan" (it's supposed to be a scary wrestler name).

(Right beside his character picture is the big 'H Bomb' in huge letters).

After I read that, my mind started rotating as it went into Analyze Mode. Alright, "he's called Mr. Satan in the Japanese version," they've written the name "Mr. Satan" right here in the character description... okay, so... WHY NOT JUST GO AHEAD AND CALL HIM MR. SATAN IN THE ACTUAL CHAPTERS!? If they were really worried about some kind of Christian backlash or whatever the hell, they wouldn't have said "Mr. Satan" anywhere at all, not even as a helpful sidenote. But adding "it's supposed to be a scary wrestler name" is almost like they're trying to defend the name choice. "That's right, pare-er, kids. We're not talking eternal damnation and bloodletting and all that crazy stuff. It's just a wrestler thing!"

Another thing I noticed is that very early on there is a bank robbery, and a security guard gets shot. Right after, he's lying on the ground and there's a word balloon that has him saying "Owww, it hurts..." Was that another Viz edit? Did the security guard join the ranks of the farmer in the Saban dub and the truck driver upset about losing his rig in the Kai dub (even in the uncut version?)

[Bussani]

After I read that, my mind started rotating as it went into Analyze Mode. Alright, "he's called Mr. Satan in the Japanese version," they've written the name "Mr. Satan" right here in the character description... okay, so... WHY NOT JUST GO AHEAD AND CALL HIM MR. SATAN IN THE ACTUAL CHAPTERS!? If they were really worried about some kind of Christian backlash or whatever the hell, they wouldn't have said "Mr. Satan" anywhere at all, not even as a helpful sidenote. But adding "it's supposed to be a scary wrestler name" is almost like they're trying to defend the name choice. "That's right, pare-er, kids. We're not talking eternal damnation and bloodletting and all that crazy stuff. It's just a wrestler thing!"

Well, I suppose it at least avoids the crowds of people chanting "Satan!" like Satanic worshippers (which is the whole joke, I think), but I guess I can understand Christians being less tolerant of that? I dunno; I'm definitely not defending the decision.

[Gaffer Tape]

That's something that's never made sense to me either. It completely undermines the censorship if you're just going to call attention to it! That would be like if they had a panel of Goku's naked penis with a footnote saying that in the next panel, they're going to put a splash of water over the penis.

[G1Ravage]

I checked what few original books I have, and Mr. Popo's lips seem to be unaltered. Of course, every panel he's featured in has him facing away from you, and the few you can see his face in, he's in the distance, and can barely see his lips anyway. In the title gallery at the end of the book, he hasn't been altered in the one cover he appears in.

[Herms]

Another thing I noticed is that very early on there is a bank robbery, and a security guard gets shot. Right after, he's lying on the ground and there's a word balloon that has him saying "Owww, it hurts..." Was that another Viz edit? Did the security guard join the ranks of the farmer in the Saban dub and the truck driver upset about losing his rig in the Kai dub (even in the uncut version?)

Nope, he says that in the original. He even cries "mama!" there too, which isn't in Viz, so if anything he's originally more talkative.

I don't think anyone's yet mentioned how Viz edits the guns the evil guy and his butler use to shoot Boo's dog and various people from ordinary, real-world guns into sci-fi ray guns. They also remove blood from the people shot.

[Super Sonic]

Another thing I noticed is that very early on there is a bank robbery, and a security guard gets shot. Right after, he's lying on the ground and there's a word balloon that has him saying "Owww, it hurts..." Was that another Viz edit? Did the security guard join the ranks of the farmer in the Saban dub and the truck driver upset about losing his rig in the Kai dub (even in the uncut version?)

Nope, he says that in the original. He even cries "mama!" there too, which isn't in Viz, so if anything he's originally more talkative.

I don't think anyone's yet mentioned how Viz edits the guns the evil guy and his butler use to shoot Boo's dog and various people from ordinary, real-world guns into sci-fi ray guns. They also remove blood from the people shot.

And the next volume they have regular guns again. No consistancy. Though I will say I do prefer the Popo alterations for obvious reasons.

[DemonRin]

Viz does this in more places than just Dragon Ball.

In One Piece, the swearing was replaced with Piratey talk and things were altered like Mr. 2 Bon Kurei not being referred to as a "Crossdresser" and they flat out lie and say that his back says "Oh Come My Way" instead of "Crossdresser Way" (Crossdresser in Japanese is "Okama", so "Oh Come My Way" is a pun on "Okama Way")

But for some strange reason, probably because it became too heavy to fully censor, the censorship just suddenly lightened in the Impel-Down arc. As "Okama" suddenly became "Drag Queen" which is accurate, and they were allowed to swear again ("Level _ of Impel-Down, the ____ Hell!")

Viz is strange sometimes...

[AgitoZ]

Viz is strange sometimes...

More like inconsistent...

I'm sure the reason they've lighten up on the edits was they realized, "Oh hey, 4Kids doesn't own the series anymore!"

[MugiMikey]

Anyway, I flipped to the character page. Here is the character description of Mr. Satan:

An ordinary wrestler who became world-famous when he took credit for defeating Cell. In the original Japanese manga he's known as "Mr. Satan" (it's supposed to be a scary wrestler name).

(Right beside his character picture is the big 'H Bomb' in huge letters).

That's not the only time Viz used it... In DBZ volume 17 (DB volume 33), when Mr. Satan is introduced, the news reporter says "Thrilling news for the people of earth! The great combatant H-Word-- formerly known as the wrestler "Mr. Satan"-- has announced he will enter the Cell Game!!"